Improved TIMS data reliability and precision with new ion source design

The ion source design of the Triton and Triton Plus Thermal Ionisation Mass Spectrometer (TIMS) has been improved to reduce the frequency and intensity of high voltage electric sparking.

A laser ablation resonance ionisation mass spectrometer (LA-RIMS) for the detection of isotope ratios of uranium at ultra-trace concentrations from solid particles and solutions

A commercial MALDI mass spectrometer coupled with a tunable laser ionisation system can be used for the detection of uranium isotope ratios at trace levels.

Improved detection sensitivity for heavy trace elements using a miniature laser ablation ionisation mass spectrometer

Detecting heavy trace elements with a miniature laser spectrometer on a lunar meteorite.

Employing Solid Phase Microextraction as Extraction Tool for Pesticide Residues in Traditional Medicinal Plants

HS-SPME was optimised using blank plant sample for analysis of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) of varying polarities in selected medicinal plants obtained from northern part of Botswana, where OCPs such as DDT and endosulfan have been historically applied to control disease carrying vectors (mosquitos and tsetse fly). The optimised SPME parameters were used to isolate analytes from root samples of five medicinal plants obtained from Maun and Kasane, Botswana. The final analytes determination was done with a gas chromatograph equipped with GC-ECD and analyte was confirmed using electron ionisation mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Dieldrin was the only pesticide detected and confirmed with MS in theTerminalia sericeasample obtained from Kasane. The method was validated and the analyte recoveries ranged from69.58±7.20to113±15.44%, with RSDs ranging from 1.19 to 17.97%. The method indicated good linearity (R2>0.9900) in the range of 2 to 100 ng g−1. The method also proved to be sensitive with low limits of detection (LODs) ranging from0.48±0.16to1.50±0.50 ng g−1. It can be concluded that SPME was successfully utilized as a sampling and extraction tool for pesticides of diverse polarities in root samples of medicinal plants.

Airborne hydrogen cyanide measurements using a chemical ionisation mass spectrometer for the plume identification of biomass burning forest fires

A chemical ionisation mass spectrometer (CIMS) was developed for measuring hydrogen cyanide (HCN) from biomass burning events in Canada using I− reagent ions on board the FAAM BAe-146 research aircraft during the BORTAS campaign in 2011. The ionisation scheme enabled highly sensitive measurements at 1 Hz frequency through biomass burning plumes in the troposphere. A strong correlation between the HCN, carbon monoxide (CO) and acetonitrile (CH3CN) was observed, indicating the potential of HCN as a biomass burning (BB) marker. A plume was defined as being 6 standard deviations above background for the flights. This method was compared with a number of alternative plume-defining techniques employing CO and CH3CN measurements. The 6-sigma technique produced the highest R2 values for correlations with CO. A normalised excess mixing ratio (NEMR) of 3.68 ± 0.149 pptv ppbv−1 was calculated, which is within the range quoted in previous research (Hornbrook et al., 2011). The global tropospheric model STOCHEM-CRI incorporated both the observed ratio and extreme ratios derived from other studies to generate global emission totals of HCN via biomass burning. Using the ratio derived from this work, the emission total for HCN from BB was 0.92 Tg (N) yr−1.

Continuous parallel ESI-MS analysis of reactions carried out in a bespoke 3D printed device

Herein, we present an approach for the rapid, straightforward and economical preparation of a tailored reactor device using three-dimensional (3D) printing, which can be directly linked to a high-resolution electrospray ionisation mass spectrometer (ESI-MS) for real-time, in-line observations. To highlight the potential of the setup, supramolecular coordination chemistry was carried out in the device, with the product of the reactions being recorded continuously and in parallel by ESI-MS. Utilising in-house-programmed computer control, the reactant flow rates and order were carefully controlled and varied, with the changes in the pump inlets being mirrored by the recorded ESI-MS spectra.